Digging device



April 28, 1931. w. P. BEAVER 1,803,223

DIGGING DEVICE Filed Nov. 22. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2% Z? flyavez' A4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WlTNESS W. P. BEAVER DIGGING DEVICE April 28, .1931.

Filed Nov. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 writ Ii a i w ATTORNEY WITNESS Patented Apr. 28, 1931 UNrrse, STATES! ATENT: orFic-s WALTER. r. BEAVER, or sTATEsvILLn, NORTH CAROLINA DIGGIN G DEVICE Application filed November 22, 1929. Serial No. 409.143.

Thislinvention relates to a. device for dig.- ging holes, the general object of the invention, being to provide a vertically movable Another object. of the invention is to. providesupporting means forthe: upper end of the cylinder and asupporting frame on which such means are vertically movable, with mo- 15 tor driven means for rotating the. cylinder and for moving. it upwardly and hand operated means for lowering the cylinder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support for the motor and the sup- 20 porting frame, with means for adjusting the supporting frame and the motor supporting means" when the. invention is placed on a truck on platform which is not level.

- This invention also consists: in certain 25 other features-of construction and. in thecom bination and arrangementof the several parts, to be. hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the! appended 39 claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like charactersdenotelike or corresponding parts throughout the several 353 views, and in Which Figure 1 1s an elevation with parts 111 section, showing the apparatus arranged on a truck.

Figure 2' is an elevation with parts in sec tion, lookingtoward the cylinder.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of parts: of the k p end fastened to the upper end oi the. yoke,th1s.

apparatus; Figure 4 isa section on line of Figure 2.

Figure 5 isjaseetion' on line 55 of Figure 1.

Fi ure dis a s'ectiontaken through the.

clutc' In these drawings, the numerals 1 indicate a pair ofcircular bearingmembers supported by the legs 2 which may be placed on'a truck, such as. A, shown in Figure 1, so that the ap paratus can be transported from place to place and remain on the truck when in use. A circular member 3 is rotatably arranged in each bearing member and has recesses. 4:. in its sides. A pair. of'beams 5 pass through the recesses of the two members 3 and are. bolted thereto so that the beams are supported.

for rocking movement by the legs and the 1 bearing members. The beams support a mo.- tor Mand a vertically. arranged. channel beam 6 is pivoted intermediate its endsto. the outer ends of the beams 5, as shown at 7. A cable. 8 has its ends connected with the projecting pieces 9. projecting from the outer sides of the beams 5 and this cable is looped. around a. pulley l0 journaled, in the upper part. of the beam 6 and provided-with a handle 11 where.- by the pulley can be turned to causethe cable to rock the frame,composed: of the beams 5 and their associated parts, in, the bearing members 1, thus providing. means for enablingthe partsto be placed in. alevel position if the truckisnot level. A pulley 12-is also rotatably connected with one of theb'eams 5 and may be rotated by a handleflii and a cable 14 passes around thispullrey: and has its ends connected to the upper and lower portions of the beam- 6, so that this beam can be placed in a vertical positionif the truck is not level. A plumb bob 15. isconnected with the; beam 6 for facilitating the;v leveling of the parts. i

A vertically arranged I beam hasits ends fastenedto the beam 6 in spaced relationthereto by themembers '17 and that edge oiffithe beam 16, nearestlthe beam 6, carries a rack-bar 18. 1 i r The cylinder 19- has a yoke 20,1 fastened to its upper end and a shaft 21 has its lower A shaftpassing'through a squarelpart 22 which has a yoke '23 at its upper end and a spider 24 at its lower end, this, spider; carrying a stationary beveled gear 25. A pair oii arms 1 of the .cylinder by the: yoke 49 and teeth 50" 26 and passing through the space between the beams 6 and 16. ilhis shaft carries a toothed wheel 28 which meshes with the teeth of the rack and has a handle 29 at one end thereof and a sprocket 30 at its other end. A brace 31 is connected with the outer face of each of the arms 22 and carries the rollers 32 which engage the front and rear edges of the beams 16 so that the arms 26 are slidably supported on the beam 16 and said arms, with the parts associated therewith, can be adjusted vertically by turning the shaft 27, which causes the toothed wheel 28 to run over the rack.

A shaft 33 is ournaled in the yoke 23 and this shaft is connected with the shaft 21 by the beveled gears 34 so that when the shaft is rotated, the cylinder will also be rotated. A sprocket 35 is connected with one end of the shaft 33 and a chain 36 passes over this sprocket and over a sprocket 37 on a shaft 38 which also carries the sprocket 39 over which the chain 40 passes, this chain also passing over a sprocket 41 on the shaft of a motor M. A bar 42 having. a fork at each end thereof is pivoted at its lower end to the motor shaft and the upper end is pivoted to the shaft 38. A similar bar 43 is pivoted to the shaft 38 and to the shaft 33, so that said shaft 33 is driven from the motor and the 1 driving parts will follow the vertical movement of the supporting means for the cylinder and shaft.

A sprocket 44 is adapted to be connected to the shaft 33 by a clutch 45 and a chain 46 passes over thissprocket 44 and the sprocket- 30 on the shaft 27 sothat when the clutch is in operative position, the shaft 27 will be driven from the motor, whereby the cylinderand its associated parts will be, raised by the motor through the engagement of the toothed wheel 28 with the rack. When the cylinder is to be lowered, however, the clutch is moved to inoperative position and the shaft 27 turned by hand. Of course, the cylinder can be raised by hand, ifnecessary. Guiding means 47 are connected with the lower end of the beam 16 and have portions encircling the lower end of the cylinder for guiding the same in its vertical and rotary movement. V.

An auger 48 is connected to the lower end are connected with the lowerperiphery of the cylinder so that as the cylinder is rotated, the auger and teeth will dig into the dirt and loosen the same and thus the loosened dirt will enter the lower end of the cylinder.

A shaft 51 is journaled'in the lower end 7 of the cylinder and a shaft 52 is journaled in the yoke 20. These shafts carry sprockets. '53 over which passes a chain 54 to which the buckets 55 are connected. The shaft 52 has a beveled gear 56 attached to one end thereof which meshes with the stationary gear 25 so that said shaft 52 and the elevator will be operated as the cylinder rotates. An idle gear 57 is loosely arranged on the opposite end of the shaft 52 and meshes with the gear 25.

Thus it will be seen that when the cylinder is rotated, the auger and the teeth at the lower end thereof will dig the dirt and loosen the same and this loosened dirt will enter the bottom of the cylinder'where it is picked up by the buckets which convey it to the top of the cylinder. Any suitable means may be provided for receiving the dirt from the buckets. The driving means are such that they will follow the movement of the cylinder without interfering with its vertical movement and when it is desired to lift the cylinder, this can be done by moving the clutch into operative position so that the cy1-. inder is raised by power means. I prefer to lower it by hand so that no damage will be done the parts by suddenly striking the bottom of the hole. It will also be seen that the parts can be placed in a level position if the truck is not sitting level.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

' It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and-in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What Iclaim is 1. A digging apparatus of. the class described comprising a cylinder having digging means at its lower end, a yoke connected with the upper end of the cylinder,.a shaft connected with the yoke, supporting means in which the shaft is journaled, a vertically arranged frame slidably engaged by the supporting means, arack. carried by said frame, a shaft in the supportingmeans, a toothed wheel thereonengaging the rack, a second shaft journaled in the supporting means and geared to the shaft which is attached to the cylinder, power means for driving the second shaft, means, including clutch means,'for connecting the second shaft with the toothed wheel carrying shaft and a handle on the toothed wheel carrying shaft.

2. A digging apparatus of the class described comprising a cylinder having digging means at its lower end, a yoke. connected with the upper end of the cylinder, a shaft connected with the yoke, supporting means in which the shaft is ournaled, a vertically arranged frame slidably engaged by the supporting means, a rack carried by said frame, a shaft in the supporting means, a toothed wheel thereon engaging the rack, a second shaft journaled in the supporting means and geared to the shaft which is attached to the cylinder, power means for driving the second shaft, means, including clutch means, for connecting the second shaft with WALTER P. BEAVER. 

